What is Bad Breath?
Bad breath, which is also called halitosis, is an embarrassing health condition that affects approximately 30% of people around the world. It is associated with a foul oral odor. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, in over 90% of bad breath cases, the odor originates in the mouth, throat, and tonsils.
The bad breath odor is usually caused by a group of anaerobic, sulfur-producing bacteria that breed beneath the surface of the tongue and often in the throat and tonsil area. These bacteria occur naturally in your oral environment and are supposed to be there because they assist your digestion by breaking down proteins into amino acids. Proteins are commonly found in food, mucus or phlegm, blood and in diseased oral tissue.
As the bad breath bacteria feast on proteins in your mouth, sulfur compounds are released from the back of your tongue and throat. The bacteria excrete waste as hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and other odorous and bad tasting compounds known as volatile sulfur compounds. As long as this process of anaerobic bacteria feeding on proteins and excreting volatile sulfur compounds continues unchecked, your breath will become worse and worse.
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